The Kuala Kangsar (

Perak Malay Perak Malay ( Standard Malay: ''bahasa Melayu Perak''; Jawi script: بهاس ملايو ڤيراق) is one of the Malay dialects spoken within the state of Perak, Malaysia. Although it is neither the official language nor the standard dialect i ...

: ''Kole Kangso'') is the royal town of

Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. It is located at the downstream of Kangsar River where it joins the

Perak River The Perak River ( ms, Sungai Perak; ) is the second longest river in Peninsular Malaysia after Pahang River in Pahang, Malaysia. A number of towns are on the banks of the river including the royal town of Kuala Kangsar. Most of the settlement ...

, approximately northwest of

Ipoh , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Ipoh in Perak , pushpin_map = #Malaysia#Asia#Earth , pushpin_mapsize = 275px , pushpin_map_caption = Ipoh in Malaysia , coordinates ...

's capital, and southeast of George Town,

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

. It is the main town in the administrative district of Kuala Kangsar. It is about 235 km from

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

, Malaysia.

History

The site must have had a strange effect on Sultan Yusuf Sharifuddin Mudzaffar Shah of Perak who ruled from 1877 to 1887. Unlike many rulers who protected their royal palaces and strongholds by selecting their vantage points carefully where they could detect enemy approach from afar, the Sultan had his first royal palace built beside the riverbank. He then named it 'Istana Sri Sayong'. Apart from being exposed to the impending threat of invasion, the other problem was the force of monsoon seasons, which led to numerous flooding as water gushed down from the jungles above through the many tributaries. The name Kuala Kangsar is believed to be derived from 'Kuala Kurang-Sa', which literally means '100 minus (-) one', usually interpreted as 'the 99th small tributary to flow into the Perak River'. One flooding was so severe, it almost swept the palace away. Finally, after the Big Flood or Air Bah in 1926, it was decided to move the place further up onto the knoll where stands the current Royal Palace named

Istana Iskandariah Istana Iskandariah or Iskandariah Palace is the royal palace of the Perak Sultanate and the official residence of the Sultan of Perak since its completion in 1933. It is located in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia. All the Sultans ...

with its Art-Deco architecture, a rare but significant piece of architectural milestone in

. The

Sultan of Perak The Sultan of Perak (سلطان ڤيراق) is one of the oldest hereditary seats among the Malay states. When the Sultanate of Malacca empire fell to Portugal in 1511, Sultan Mahmud Syah I retreated to Kampar, Sumatra, and died there in ...

officially resides in Kuala Kangsar, and it has been Perak's royal seat since the 18th century. It is one of four towns that plays a role in Perak's complex succession system. It was the administrative seat of the first British

Resident Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceuti ...

in the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...

James W. W. Birch James Wheeler Woodford Birch, commonly known as J. W. W. Birch (3 April 1826 – 2 November 1875) was a British colonial official who was assassinated in the Malay state of Perak in 1875, an event that led to the outbreak of the Perak War and ...

, from October 1874 until he was murdered on 2 November 1875. It was the capital of

until 1876. Kuala Kangsar is also known in Malaysian history as the site where the first

Conference of Rulers The Conference of Rulers (also Council of Rulers or Durbar, ms, Majlis Raja-Raja; Jawi: ) in Malaysia is a council comprising the nine rulers of the Malay states, and the governors or ''Yang di-Pertua Negeri'' of the other four states. It was ...

of the Federated Malay States, the Durbar, was held in 1897. By the 1890s, the growth of the tin mining towns of

Ipoh , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Ipoh in Perak , pushpin_map = #Malaysia#Asia#Earth , pushpin_mapsize = 275px , pushpin_map_caption = Ipoh in Malaysia , coordinates ...

and

Taiping __NOTOC__ Taiping, Tai-p’ing, or Tai Ping most often refers to: Chinese history * Princess Taiping (died 713), Tang dynasty princess * Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864), civil war in southern China ** Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1851–1864), the re ...

had eclipsed Kuala Kangsar, but it remains to this day one of the most attractive of the Malay royal capitals. The town is also the site of the first

rubber tree ''Hevea brasiliensis'', the Pará rubber tree, ''sharinga'' tree, seringueira, or most commonly, rubber tree or rubber plant, is a flowering plant belonging to the spurge family Euphorbiaceae originally native to the Amazon basin, but is now pa ...

planted in Malaysia. The person responsible was the English

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

Henry Nicholas Ridley Henry Nicholas Ridley CMG (1911), MA (Oxon), FRS, FLS, F.R.H.S. (10 December 1855 – 24 October 1956) was an English botanist, geologist and naturalist who lived much of his life in Singapore. He was instrumental in promoting rubber trees i ...

. He was the one who helped Malaya and eventually Malaysia become the largest rubber producer in the world. The tree still stands today. The first Malaysian scout troop was established in Kuala Kangsar. Consequently, its squad number is 001.

Education

* SMJK Tsung Wah * Raja Perempuan Kelsom Secondary School (SMK RPK) * Madrasah Idrisiah Kuala Kangsar (MADID) *

Malay College Kuala Kangsar The Malay College Kuala Kangsar (abbreviated MCKK; ; ) is a premier residential school in Malaysia. It is an elite all-boys and all- Malay school in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak. It is sometimes dubbed "the Eton College of the East". ...

(MCKK) * Clifford Secondary School (Sekolah Menengah Clifford) * Sultan Azlan Shah University (USAS) * Kolej Vokasional Kuala Kangsar (KVKK) * Maktab Rendah Sains Mara Sultan Azlan Shah (MRSM SAS) * Kolej RISDA PERAK Kuala Kangsar * Kolej Komuniti Chenderoh * Kolej Komuniti Kuala Kangsar * Kem PLKN Desa Rimba * Kem PLKN Kota Lama

Tourist and historical attractions

Ubudiah Mosque The Ubudiah Mosque ( ms, Masjid Ubudiah) is a small mosque located in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia. History The mosque is located beside the Royal Mausoleum on Jalan Istana at Bukit Chandan in Kuala Kangsar. The mosque wa ...

and the Royal Mausoleum * Ihsaniah Iskandariah Mosque *

Istana Kenangan The Istana Kenangan (Jawi script: ايستان كنڠن; Remembrance Palace) which today houses the Perak Royal Museum, was a royal residence in Kuala Kangsar in Perak, Malaysia. History It was built in 1926 for Sultan Iskandar Shah by the Mala ...

(Old Palace, now the Perak Royal Museum) * Pavilion Tower *

(The Royal Palace) * Kuala Kangsar Clock Tower * Malaya's first

* Sultan Azlan Shah Gallery * Victoria Bridge (built 1900) *

Iskandariah Bridge Iskandariah Bridge or Sultan Iskandar Bridge is one of four major bridges in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia with the other one being the Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah Bridge (Sayong Bridge). The 308 metre bridge crosses the Perak River near the town ...

* Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah Bridge

Transportation

Two bridges now connect Kuala Kangsar to

Sayong Sayong is a small village in Perak, Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territorie ...

. Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah Bridge is made out of concrete and located near the town while Sultan Iskandar Bridge is farther upstream and is made out of steel. Kuala Kangsar is easily accessible via the North–South Expressway and by train.

Public Transport

Bus *Perak Transit (shuttle K. Kangsar-Ipoh & K. Kangsar-Lenggong) *Sri Maju Express *Transnasional Express *Starmart Express *Ekspres Perdana *Konsortium Ekspres Mutiara *Konsortium Bas Express *Kumpulan Bas Perak *Maju Express *Grassland *Five Star *ALISAN *Red Omnibus (shuttle to K. Kangsar-Taiping) *Wai Thong Omnibus (Shuttle to K. Kangsar-Manong) Trains *

Inter-city rail Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that run services that connect cities over longer distances than commuter or regional trains. There is no precise definition of inter-city rail; its meaning may vary from country ...

Kuala Kangsar railway station The Kuala Kangsar railway station is a Malaysian train station located at the north-western side of and named after the town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak. Owned by Keretapi Tanah Melayu, it provides KTM ETS The KTM ETS (commercially known as ETS, s ...

Notable people

Rafidah Aziz Rafidah binti Aziz ( Jawi: ; born 4 November 1943) is a Malaysian politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for the Selayang from 1978 to 1982 and Kuala Kangsar constituency from 1982 to 2013. Born in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Rafidah was Min ...

, Malaysian politician

References

External links

* {{Authority control Kuala Kangsar District Towns in Perak